Chapter Forty-Three The Party, 3am
Chapter Forty-Three
The party was finally winding down and, as predicted, Freya was the last woman standing. Some of the revellers were snoring with their heads on the table and half-melted Maltesers in their hair. Others had long gone into the night, after wishing Freya eighty more years of happiness.
Ross and Patsy were having ‘one for the road’. It was actually their fifth for the road, but no one was counting. Patsy looked around. “I haven’t seen Evie and Amelia for ages and Kate and Edwyn disappeared too.”
“Wimps,” said Ross.
“A bunch of one-pot screamers,” said Patsy. “They will be at home in their beds or lying drunk somewhere.”
“Amelia told me she was going to sort things out with Evie tonight. They will be on their second bottle of red somewhere, I hope,” said Ross.
Freya waddled over with a smile. “Anyone else fancy a last dance?”
Patsy groaned. “I had to take off my high heels hours ago. The soles of my feet were burning. I was dancing to Kylie’s ‘Padam’ in my bare feet and Andrzej stood on my big toe. It’s still throbbing.”
Ross smiled charmingly and bowed his head in Freya’s direction. “I will do a trip of the light fantastic with you, birthday girl, but it will have to be the last for I am a man barely alive.”
Freya gave a chuckle. “You aren’t the only one, the piper has passed out so maybe we should all think about going home.”
Patsy picked up her phone. “I’ll call us a cab. We can drop you off.” Ross smiled at her. “Thanks Patsy, but I think I’ll walk home. It’s not far, but I could do with clearing my head. Make sure her majesty gets to bed safely. She’s very precious.”
He took Freya’s hand and gave it a kiss. “I hope you had an unforgettable birthday.”
Freya sighed happily. “I really did. I wish I’d been able to have a word with Evie, though. I will make sure I see her in the morning.”
She smiled up at Ross. “And if I were forty years younger, I’d show you a thing or two young man.”
They all laughed and hugged each other.